Title: Speed control experiments for heavy duty vehicles with coordinated friction and engine compression brakes

Authors: M. Druzhinina, A. Stefanopoulou

Addresses: General Motors Research and Development Center, Warren, MI, USA. ' University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Abstract: In this paper, we describe the development and experimental validation of a coordination scheme between friction and engine compression brakes for a Class 8 Freightliner truck used as a development platform in the California PATH program. The coordination scheme maintains the speed tracking performance of the nominal PID controller, which was originally designed for the case of friction brakes only. Through the coordination scheme, the command of the nominal PID controller is interpreted as a braking torque demand and split into a friction brake command and compression brake command. The split is based on the models for the compression braking torque and friction braking torque developed and identified from open-loop experiments. The results of closed-loop experiments show that the integration of the compression brake into the speed control framework reduces the usage and therefore the wear of the conventional friction brakes.

Keywords: engine compression brakes; friction brakes; heavy duty vehicles; PID controller; speed control experiments; coordination scheme; speed tracking; braking torque; brake wear reduction.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHVS.2004.005450

International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems, 2004 Vol.11 No.3/4, pp.237 - 256

Published online: 04 Oct 2004 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article